


NaNo Drabble Collection

by NextTrickAnvils



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: And assume that there will be spoilers for all routes, Assume just about any character will be here, Drabble/Ficlet Collection, Multi, Pairings if any are in chapter titles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-01-12 23:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 14,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21234437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NextTrickAnvils/pseuds/NextTrickAnvils
Summary: A collection of drabbles and ficlets written for a mini NaNo challenge on Twitter (COMPLETE)Day 30:Prompts: Forest + GriefCharacters: Jeralt, baby Byleth, mentions of Byleth’s motherAs Jeralt flees the Monastery, he thinks of his late wife.





	1. Soulmates + Anxiety (M!Byleth x Bernadetta)

**Author's Note:**

> So... I am not taking part in NaNoWriMo... sort of.
> 
> I saw this little challenge (https://twitter.com/chelseayrbff/status/1188202455542239234) on twitter and figured, why not? Each chapter title will have the prompts and any ships (romantic or platonic) involved along with a brief description in the top chapter notes. Hope you all enjoy this month. :)
> 
> Anyway here's a quick descriptor for this chapter:
> 
> Prompts: Soulmate/Anxiety
> 
> M!Byleth x Bernadetta, Soulmate AU, small warning for a vague mention of abuse due to Bernie's dad being the fucking worst.

On Bernadetta’s thirteenth birthday, she woke up to find writing on her wrist.

The handwriting was messy but clear enough to be legible.

_ I apologize for frightening you. _

The first words spoken to her by her soulmate. Her soulmark.

On the one hand, she wasn’t thrilled at the idea of her soulmate scaring her. But on the other hand, they seem to apologize for it (and it only just occurs to Bernadetta how long it’s been since she’s heard an apology that didn’t come off as demeaning and patronizing.)

While she silently hopes her first words on their wrist won’t be too embarrassing, Bernadetta still can’t help but be excited over the possibilities of who her soulmate could be.

Her father did not share her enthusiasm. He could tell that it wasn’t the handwriting of a noble (or at least one that held themselves in high esteem) and was very vocal about his disappointment.

_ “I should have known that the powers that be wouldn’t bless such a worthless girl like you!” _

After that, he forced her to wear a silver bracelet to hide her soulmark and his “training” became so much harsher.

Despite all this, Bernadetta tried to hold out hope that maybe she’d still find her soulmate but that hope would soon fade as she eventually became more fearful and withdrawn.

* * *

“Ah! What!? I don’t talk to strangers!” Bernadetta shouted as she saw the blue haired man approach her

Before she could run off or hide behind one of the desks, Ferdinand lightly placed his hand on her shoulder and gave a comforting smile.

“Bernadetta, this is no stranger. Our house leader owes this person a great debt. Is that not right?”

Oh… this was that mercenary everyone was talking about. He wasn’t quite as scary as she thought he would be, though he was still rather intimidating with his stoic expression.

Her classmate proceeded to introduce himself and the mercenary (who introduced himself as Byleth) nodded and bowed before the future Duke. He then turned to Bernadetta and she let out a frightful squeak.

Although his expression did not change, Byleth bowed before Bernadetta.

“I apologize for frightening you.”

Her eyes widened and she could practically feel her soulmark burning under the silver bracelet.


	2. Beach + Admiration (Seteth x His Wife)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seteth reminisces about his late wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Beach + Admiration  
Notes: Spoilers for Seteth and Flayn's real connection (if you didn't do their supports or their paralogue, don't read)

Seteth remembers the night they first met.

Right here on this coast during a festival to celebrate the coming of the longer days and warm winds of summer.

Despite the festivities, he had his nose in a book, like a fool. It had been so long ago, he cannot recall why. Perhaps he had some work to do involving the book or he had no interest in the celebrations at all and was dragged by a friend or one of his brothers and as such refused to participate.

Regardless of the reason, she approached him and took the book right from his hands.

Seteth chuckles as he recalls his brief indignation and how quickly it died on his lips when he first saw her.

She took advantage of him gaping like a fish out of water and grabbed his wrists, demanding that he dance with her. She… was not a graceful dancer, the two ended up spinning and spinning until they fell into the washes crashing onto the sand. Then she just laughed and laughed and Seteth quickly joined her.

_"At least that was fun right?"_

She was ever the optimist, a trait that Seteth couldn’t help but admire and be thankful that it was passed down to Flayn.

“Father?”

Seteth found himself broken out of his thoughts by Flayn’s voice.

“Are you alright, father?”

“Yes I apologize, I was just… reminiscing.”

She smiles, “Shall we go give mother the flowers?”

“Of course, we’ve kept her waiting long enough.”


	3. Thief + Jealousy (F!Byleth x Ashe)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After failing to capture a thief the night before, The Silver Knight AKA Ashe Ubert finds his day improved by meeting a new neighbor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Thief + Jealousy  
Ship: F!Byleth x Ashe  
Notes: Modern!AU, Vigilante/Hero!AU

_ “...And in other news, police are still investigating the recent robbery of the Garreg Mach Museum of History. The day before, museum staff found what is believed to be a “calling card” announcing the planned heist and signed by an individual calling themselves, “The Ashen Demon.”” _

“Ashe? Fodlan to Ashe?”

“Huh!?”

Ashe tore his eyes away from the restaurant's TV and faced Ingrid and Sylvain.

“You seem very interested in that robbery.” remarked Ingrid

“Oh! Well I… I… ”

Of course Ashe couldn’t tell them the real reason he was so focused on the news. He felt bad enough, lying to them about the bruise on his arm.

“Lemme guess, you’re upset that your favorite hero the Shiny Knight didn’t get the bad guy.” Said Sylvain

“Silver Knight, Sylvain and… it is... unfortunate that he couldn’t stop them.” Ashe explained

Ashe tried, he really did try but the Ashen Demon just seemed to outmaneuver him in every way. She’d clearly been at this for longer than Ashe has been playing hero.

He couldn’t help but be a little jealous of her skill… and a little embarrassed over how he actually said that outloud to her. He supposes that Hero+villain banter isn't as easy to come up with as in the comics he read.

A loud chirpy beeping noise rang out from Ashe’s phone. He quickly pulled it out and turned off the alarm as he faced his friends.

“Sorry about that, guys but I need to head back to the apartment, my siblings are going to be off school soon.”

He takes some money out of his wallet and places it on the table.

“Thank you for lunch and tell the waiter that he can keep the change as a tip. See ya!”

After waving goodbye to Ingrid and Sylvain, Ashe rushed as fast as he could over to his apartment building. When he finally arrived, he found a moving truck parked outside with a blue haired woman carrying a heavy stack of boxes.

Without even thinking, Ashe came up to her, “Excuse me Miss? Would you like some help?”

The blue haired woman placed the boxes down and looked at Ashe.

_ Wow... she's pretty. _

“Top box.”

“Huh?”

“If you could carry the top box for me? It’s the heaviest one and it would save me some trouble.”

“Oh sure!”

Ashe did as the woman asked and the two made their way up the apartment building stairs.

“So I assume you live here?” She asked

“Yes, with my little brother and sister. Our apartment’s on the third floor” 

“Well it looks like we’re going to be neighbors, that’s where I’m moving in. I’m Byleth Eisner by the way.”

“I’m Ashe Ubert, it’s nice to meet you Byleth.”

The two continued climbing up and making small talk.

“Hoping Garreg Mach works out for me. It’s been a long while since I stayed in one place for more than a week or two.”

“Oh you travel?”

“Sort of, I used to live with my dad and his line of work took us around the world.”

“Wow, you must have seen so much! I’m a little jealous.”

Byleth suddenly stopped, poor Ashe nearly crashed into her.

“...Byleth?”

“S-sorry, it’s just you, reminded me of something but it’s not important, let’s get these to my place so I can start unpacking.”

Ashe nodded and the two finally made their way to Byleth’s apartment and placed the boxes down on the floor.

“I can take care of the rest from here. I look forward to seeing more of you, neighbor.”

“Oh! Y-yeah, you too.”

He waved goodbye and went down the hall to his own home. He smiled and thought to himself that maybe things are starting to look up for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit this one ended up longer than expected and I admit I kind of made a stretch of the Jealousy prompt but oh well. *Shrug*


	4. Party + Horror (Gen with shiptease)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth contemplates about the odd members of The Golden Deer Private Investigation Agency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Party + Horror  
Ships: Vague mentions of F!Byleth x Claude and Cyril x Lysithea  
Notes: 1920's AU, monster!AU
> 
> Decided to go with the interpretation of party as in "party of adventurers" kinda deal. Also horror just comes from the fact that they're all monsters/supernatural beings. Big ol' shout-out to the Claudeleth server for working together to make this AU and indulging me on my bullshit. You guys are great. :D

When Byleth joined the Golden Deer Private Investigation Agency, she had asked one question to Claude.

“Why is the group called the Golden Deer if you’re a werewolf?”

Claude just gave her a sharp toothy grin and replied, “Honestly, I like the irony.”

Byleth isn’t sure if she’d call the Deer, “Ironic,” but they were certainly an odd bunch. 

At first glance, Claude was what one would expect from a werewolf, active, strong, hairy (no she did not stare at his chest, thank you very much). But he was also clever and subtle.

Then there was Hilda, the laziest (well only but still) succubus Byleth had met. She honestly couldn’t help but wonder if Hilda would even bother bringing “guests” to her bedroom if she didn’t need them to actually survive.

By day, Lorenz was your typical rich man’s son and by night he carried his head around in his arms and travelled through the city on a spectral black horse. Thinking about it, maybe it wasn’t so weird that he was a little vain.

Marianne was so sweet and soft-spoken and seemed very “human” compared to the others, that it surprised Byleth when she insisted that she was the worst kind of monster. (Claude would later tell Byleth about Marianne’s curse and her fears of losing herself to it.)

Raphael reminded Byleth of an old story she read a long time ago about a scientist creating a man from dead bodies and living in fear of his creation. But unlike the monster of the story, Raphael was rather chipper and optimistic and he seemed to have a much better relationship with the man who brought him to life (Dr. Hanneman, Byleth recalls the name.)

Byleth had always heard about ghosts and how they were tied to the world of the living by unfinished business. Yet Ignatz was the farthest thing from vengeful and he never said anything about unfinished business. He seemed to just stick around because he liked everyone.

Leonie was a faun who ate meat and could drink everyone in the building under the table. Which was odd enough to think about. But there was also the admiration she held for, of all people, Byleth’s father, a former monster hunter. This, unfortunately, has led to Leonie considering Byleth bit of a rival, maybe they’d get along better with a trip to father’s favorite speakeasy. 

Lysithea didn’t quite fit what Byleth had read about banshees, looking like a young woman rather than an old crone (though her hair color certainly matched the role.) Then there was her aversion to spirits and ghost stories, despite her living with a ghost and her screams announcing someone’s death. (Lysithea insisted that there was a difference between saying “someone’s going to die” and actually seeing a dead person.)

The owner of the building and his daughter, the Deer’s secretary were a pair of merfolk named Seteth and Flayn. Seteth apparently reached an age for merfolk where he could shapeshift and walk on land. Flayn hasn’t reached that age yet and thus gets around via wheelchair. 

Seteth was bit of a stickler for the rules (which raises the question of why he’s helping a private investigation agency in the first place.) Flayn on the other hand was a little more open and flexible, always asking for stories about recent cases or for someone to wheel her out of the building so she could have some fun in the city.

Probably the most “normal” of the group was Cyril, a human who the Golden Deer took in, a few years ago. After living with them for so long, he’s gotten used to the strange sights and sounds. Honestly the strangest thing about him is his very obvious crush on Lysithea.

Then there was Byleth herself. Believing herself to be human, her whole life until a mugging gone wrong revealed her vampiric heritage and led to her discovering the truth about her mother.

But… despite her circumstances, Byleth feels that she’s going to fit right in with the Golden Deer.


	5. Tea + Inadequate (Lorenz x Marianne)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marianne makes some tea for Lorenz but can't help but worry of what he'll think of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Tea + Inadequate  
Ship: Lorenz x Marianne

‘Why did I agree to this’ Marianne thought as she set up the table.

The reason being, she wanted to thank Lorenz for all his help recently on and off the battlefield. That and… she had to admit that she’s been trying to find more reasons to spend time with him lately.

The Professor recommended inviting him for tea and some of the other Golden Deer were more than happy to help her make the tea and some treats.

But despite the fact that she had been getting better at being less self-deprecating, there was still that self-doubt.

_ You really think he’ll like this? _

  
_   
He’s a noble with very particular taste._

_ What makes you think he won’t find this disgusting? _

Marianne shook her head, as much as she has changed over the years, so has he. So Lorenz wouldn’t turn up his nose at her efforts… right?

It wasn’t long before the man himself finally arrived in the garden.

“Good afternoon, Marianne, thank you for the invitation.” Lorenz greeted Marianne as he took his seat in front of her

“Oh, th-thank you for accepting. Sh-shall I pour the tea?”

“Of course”

Marianne took a deep breath to keep herself from shaking, she gently picked up the tea pot and slowly filled both hers and Lorenz’s cups. She nervously watched as Lorenz picked up his cup and praised the tea’s aroma. He takes a sip and his eyes widen. In an instant, Marianne stood up, only to bow down in deep apology.

“I’m so sorry the tea is inadequate! I thought I tried my best to make it and I...”

“Marianne.”

She lifts her head up and sees Lorenz smiling at her.

“The tea is far from inadequate, in fact I’d say it’s some of the finest I’ve ever had. You said you made it yourself?” 

Marianne blushed and she felt her heart and pulse racing; he liked it… he more than liked it!

“W-well the Professor and the others helped me a little. They chose the tea leaves and showed me how to make the tea.”

Lorenz takes another sip, “Well it seems you took to their instructions quite well. Now when you invited me, you said there was something you wished to discuss. So shall we?”

Marianne smiled and nodded as she sat back down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it just kinda ends, couldn't think of a good way to wrap it up. Oh well.


	6. Wine + Proud (Claude x F!Byleth)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the celebration after the mock Battle of the Eagle and the Lion, Byleth finds Claude outside and the two have a quick chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Pride + Wine  
Ships: F!Byleth x Claude (Pre-relationship, they don’t actually do anything romantic cause this is Academy Phase)  
Notes: Takes place during the celebration after winning the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Warning for underaged drinking (though for all we know Fodlan’s legal drinking age is eighteen if they have one at all but I felt I should warn regardless.) Vague-ish spoilers about Claude if you know where to look.

They did it.**  
**

Her students managed to work together and won The Battle of the Eagle and Lion and Byleth couldn’t be prouder.

Now they were enjoying a hard-earned celebration.

Hilda was currently attempting to drag both Marianne and Caspar into a dance, Leonie was challenging most of the boys to a round of arm wrestling (with Felix being her current opponent and Raphael practically bouncing in excitement over taking on the winner,) and there was Linhardt and Bernadetta of course finding a quiet corner for them to nap and hide respectively.

However as she scanned the room, Byleth was starting to realize someone was missing…

Claude.

With that thought, Byleth stood up from where she sat and stepped outside the Dining Hall, she looked down below, over to the lake pier, and immediately spotted Claude’s bright golden cape.

As Byleth walked closer, she noticed him holding what looked like a wine bottle.

“Last I checked, alcohol is prohibited to students.”

Claude seemed to nearly jump at her voice but smiled once he realized who it was.

“Hey Teach, got tired of all the celebrating?”

“I was looking for you actually.”

“Aww, I’m touched. I always knew I was your favorite.”

Byleth refused to dignify that with comment and simply crossed her arms.

“Why do you have alcohol?”

“Same reason anyone would have it, to celebrate a special occasion. Been holding onto this for a while. Imported all the way from Almyra but uh don’t ask how I got it.” Claude said as he pulled a corkscrew from one of his pockets and opened up the bottle

He then offered the bottle to Byleth. She knew she shouldn’t… but it was just her and Claude… it wouldn’t be the first time she broke one of the Monastery’s rules.

_“And besides a few sips isn’t going to hurt you.” _Chimed in the voice of a certain green-haired girl

Byleth took the bottle and took a sip of the wine. She nearly choked as it hit her tongue, she can’t recall when she had a drink this spiced.

“You alright Teach?”

“I-I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting it to be so…”

Claude shrugged, “I admit it’s kind of an acquired taste. Took me a few tries to start enjoying it… don’t tell my parents though.”

Byleth rolled her eyes as she sat down next to Claude. The two sat in silence and passed the wine bottle back and forth to each other and taking another sip. Once she got used to it, the wine actually wasn’t too bad.

“…You did great out there today.”

“Hm?”

“The Battle of the Eagle and Lion, you and everyone else fought amazingly. I’m very proud of you all and how far you’ve come.”

She could see Claude’s cheeks turning pink, though she wasn’t sure if it was from the compliment or the alcohol.

“Ah, we wouldn’t have won without you, Teach. You’re something real special, you know.”

“…I’m not going easy on you for the next Certification Exam.”

Claude let out an exaggerated offend gasp, “Why Teach, can’t a guy just want to compliment his professor without an ulterior motive?”

Byleth couldn’t help but wonder if the wine was starting to get to her when she started to laugh hard.

“I… I apologize, it’s just… heheheheh, it’s so… WEIRD to hear the word “Professor” from you. Ahahaha I’m so used to hearing “Teach” from you.”

She turned to Claude, only to see him looking… she wasn’t sure what to call his expression. She’d almost call it “awestruck” but she didn’t do anything particularly amazing or special just now.

“Claude?”

At the mention of his name, he shook his head and gave a fake smile.

“Heh, I-I’m alright Teach. Maybe we should uh… cut the celebration short. Maybe you can give the rest of this to Professor Manuela, I’m sure she wouldn’t let this go to waste.”

Byleth chuckled, “Perhaps.”

She stood up and took the bottle from Claude’s hands.

“Good night, Claude.”

“Night Teach.”

With that, Byleth made her way back to her room.

…Once she was out of sight, Claude covered his face with his hands and deeply sighed.

“…This wasn’t part of the plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Imported straight from Almyra" = "I ganked this from my parents' stash and have been holding onto it since then."


	7. Library + Joy (Lysithea x Cyril)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lysithea looks for a book to help teach Cyril and also thinks about smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Library + Joy  
Ship: Lysithea x Cyril  
Notes: Teeny tiny spoilers for Cyril and Lysithea's support if you can call them spoilers

Lysithea carefully looked over the books on the shelf.

Whose bright idea was it to put children’s books on one of the higher shelves!?

“You know Lysithea...”

She looked down at Cyril, holding the bottom half of the ladder for her.

“Hm?”

“You don’t gotta do this for me.”

“I’m not doing it because I “gotta.” I’m doing this because you’re… you’re my friend.”

Lysithea tried to ignore that little pit in her stomach from saying Cyril was a “friend.” Of course he was a friend; since they were close in age, he never treated her like a child and she could always count on him whenever the Professor assigned them to work together on the field.

But ever since Cyril said she was pretty when she smiled…

_ “...And don’t expect me to read to you again!...” _

Yet here she was, continuing to help Cyril. Well… just because he teased her doesn’t mean he’s not a friend anymore. At least he was nowhere near as bad as Claude. 

Regardless, Lysithea figured maybe it was time for Cyril to move on from shopping lists and start learning from books.

She continued looking over the books on the shelf. So far it was all simplified or fairy tale-esque retellings of historical events. Maybe when Cyril started to get a better grasp on the subject.

But then she saw it: _ The Trail Through Aillel _. It was a story about a young girl who braved travelling through the Valley of Torment to save her family. Lysithea remembers how her parents would read it to her every night before bed… before…

She quickly grabbed the book and climbed down the ladder.

“Okay Cyril, let’s start with this one. This was actually my favorite story, growing up.”

Cyril smiled, “Okay, let’s get started!”

And for a brief moment… Lysithea couldn’t help but think that Cyril was kind of pretty when he smiled too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout-out to VixenoftheMist on the Claudeleth server for coming up with the title The Trail Through Ailell. :D


	8. Ghosts + Betrayal (Dimitri)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri thought he could trust the Professor but then she opposed his wish to invade Enbarr. Then the ghosts start to cry out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Ghosts + Betrayal  
Characters: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd  
Notes: Azure Moon path spoilers, Dimitri spoilers, mental health issues

He thought he could trust the Professor.

During the Academy days, she was always willing to listen, willing to talk, and make sure he was involved in important strategies and decisions.****

Even if it is only to use her as a weapon against Edelgard, Dimitri thought she would be by his side just as before.

_“We cannot risk a full invasion with the limited resources we have. The liberation of Fhirdiad should be our priority.”_

Dimitri growls as he recalls her words. He thought she would understand! He thought she would support him!

_“She doesn’t know what you’ve been through, our dear boy.”_ Said Patrica

_“She did not see the horrors you’ve witnessed. Those five years of slumber have made her weak.”_ Cried out Father

“…Perhaps you two are right.”

The Pro… no Byleth. Byleth wasn’t there to witness his Uncle’s death, she wasn’t there for Cornelia’s mockery of a trial, when he was thrown in the dungeons awaiting execution, Dedue’s sacrifice, and all the years of wandering the land and slaughtering Imperial rats to survive.

_“Maybe she still holds a soft spot for the Witch.”_ Glenn remarked with a dark chuckle

Could that be true? That would be the greatest betrayal in Dimitri’s mind, that Byleth still saw Edelgard as just another student instead of the monster she truly was… No… no that couldn’t be, Byleth fought alongside him and the rest of the Monastery against the Empire’s first attack.

_“But if she stands in your way… you know what you must do, my son.”_

“If she stands in my way, I will cut her down. You all have waited for far too long for your revenge.”

The voices cried out and became louder and louder until Dimitri could hear nothing but his father, step-mother, and Glenn’s screams of _“Yes! Bring us Edelgard’s head!”_


	9. Holiday + Optimistic (F!Byleth x Claude)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you sure you want to do this, Claude? I’m sure my father would understand if you said you were too busy.” Byleth asked as she placed the last of their luggage in the car
> 
> “N-Nah, it’s fine, By. Gotta rip off that bandage at some point ya know? Besides you said he’s a great guy right? I’m sure I’ll make a good impression right?” Claude responded as he stepped inside the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Holiday + Optimistic  
Ship: F!Byleth x Claude  
Notes: This takes place in the same Modern!AU as my other fic, Falling for You. You don't need to necessarily read that to get what's going on.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Claude? I’m sure my father would understand if you said you were too busy.” Byleth asked as she placed the last of their luggage in the car**  
**

“N-Nah, it’s fine, By. Gotta rip off that bandage at some point ya know? Besides you said he’s a great guy right? I’m sure I’ll make a good impression right?” Claude responded as he stepped inside the car.

Byleth sighed as she stepped into the driver’s seat.

“Honestly I’m not worried about how he’d feel about you, I’m worried about you having a panic attack.”

Byleth had been looking forward to visiting her father for the holidays and she was excited to introduce him to Claude…

Then she showed Claude a photo of her father and mentioned that he’s a retired police captain and the mood went downhill from there. Despite Claude insisting that it’s fine and he’d be happy to make the trip with her, she could tell that his smiles were faked and just how nervous he was.

“...Last chance before I start the car, Claude.”

“By...”

“Claude if you don’t think you’re ready to meet him then I’m not going to force you. You can do this whenever you’re ready...”

“Please don’t pull Teach Talk on me.”

Realizing that no amount of convincing was going to change his mind, Byleth muttered an “alright” and started the car.

For the first half-hour, the two remained silent except for the occasional comment when they fiddled with the radio. (“Ugh I’m so sick of _Lost in Thoughts All Alone_” “It’s a little overplayed but I still like it.”) (“Why’d they make a musical about Loog!?” “Overlap between history nerds and theater nerds?”)

Eventually it was Claude who finally addressed the elephant in the room.

“...Yeah I’m nervous to meet your dad. I mean… the guy is scary looking. No offense.”

“None taken, he’d probably take that as a compliment.”

Claude chuckled before continuing, “But from what you’ve said about him, he’s obviously important to you so I’m trying to be positive, trying to be optimistic. I want this to work out cause I want you to be happy.”

Dammit if she wasn’t driving, she would have pulled Claude into the tightest hug she could. So she settled for a smile.

“You know even if dad didn’t like you, it wouldn’t change anything. I love you and I love having you in my life. If he’s going to be a jerk about our relationship, then he can spend the holidays by himself. But with that said, I know he’s gonna like you. Probably the worst he’ll do is call you “brat” or a smartass.”

“...He wouldn’t be wrong.” Claude said with a shrug and a smirk

Byleth laughed and Claude quickly joined her. Now with the mood lightened and spirits high, the rest of the trip was going to be a lot smoother.


	10. Dawn + Thankful (F!Byleth x Claude)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude's thoughts as he waits for Byleth in the Goddess Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Dawn + Thankful  
Ship: Claude x F!Byleth  
Notes: Takes place during the reunion scene in Verdant Wind. (AKA everyone’s done their own take on the reunion scene so here’s mine.) Quick reference to Claude’s backstory.

Well, here he was.

Today, Claude is either going to be proven right and Fodlan would regain a spark of hope… or he’d be proven a lovestruck fool who couldn’t let go.

...Not to say Claude wasn’t already a lovestruck fool who couldn’t let go but one of those options involves Byleth NOT being dead and the possibility of ending the war.

He looks over what remains of the Monastery and the surrounding town and watches as the dawn rises.

Claude didn’t consider himself a religious man but he still found himself in the Cathedral last night. Praying to Sothis or the Almyran gods of his childhood or just anyone or thing that would just please listen. 

_ Please… bring Byleth back. I need to see her smile again. I need to hear her laugh. I need her… _

He chuckles as he thinks about that prayer, he could only imagine what his seventeen-year-old self would have thought of all this. Prayer **AND** swooning over Teach? What the hells happened!?

Before that thought could continue though, Claude heard something… steps. He keeps his hand ready to grab his weapon just in case he needs to fight and slightly turns his head… and he can’t believe it.

She’s here, looking exactly the same as she did five years ago.

He wants to kiss her and never let go. Hold her tight so she’ll never vanish again.

But instead he smiles, “You overslept Teach! Pretty rude to keep to keep a fella waiting like that. Wouldn’t you say?”

Byleth steps closer with a confused expression on her face. It’s not surprising she doesn’t recognize him right away, he’s changed a lot over these five years. But soon she finally figures it out and lets out a small gasp.

“What’s with that surprised look, my friend? You didn’t really think I’d given up on you coming back. Did you?”

There’s tears in her eyes but Byleth smiles that same smile he fell in love with five years ago.

_ If anyone actually listened to me out there… thank you. _


	11. Knight + At Peace (Ingrid x Dorothea)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six months after the end of the war, Dorothea visits Ingrid for a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Knight + At Peace  
Ship: Ingrid x Dorothea  
Notes: Takes place post Azure Moon route, both Dorothea and Ingrid got their solo endings.

It was a surprise for Ingrid to find Dorothea at her door but it wasn’t an unpleasant one. She was more than happy to invite the songstress inside and take a seat while the house servants made the pair some tea.

Nearly half a year had passed since the end of the war and since either woman had seen the other. Ingrid can tell from a glance that peacetime has been more than kind to Dorothea.

“So what brings you all the way out here?”

“Isn’t it enough to talk to a friend?”

“With the distance between Enbarr and Galatea territory?”

Dorothea giggled, “Alright I suppose you got me. I received a letter from the Professor. She said said that your knighting ceremony was soon and asked if I would like to come witness it. It’s been too long since we saw each other last, I just had to jump at the chance to see you again.”

The songstress gave her a wink and Ingrid’s face turned a little red.

“O-oh… Wait, why would the Professor ask…?”

“Well it wasn’t just me, of course, all our friends got invitations too.”

Ah, of course, it was just an invitation.

“Though I do admit I decided to make the trip early because I wanted some time with you to myself.”

Ingrid nearly dropped her tea cup upon hearing that. Why was she getting so flustered!?

“I see. Th-thank you, I appreciate the support. It’s… it’s hard to believe that this is finally happening.”

“You’d been dreaming of this for a long time, right?”

“Ever since I was a little girl. Speaking of dreams, what about you? Found a “handsome noble husband” yet?”

“Would you believe me if I said that I’m going to be focusing more on my career for a while?”

“Really?” Ingrid asked, ignoring how her heart started beating faster

Dorothea nodded.

“I suppose I needed something comforting and familiar after… well everything. I’m even thinking of making a show myself. I admit I’m not much of a writer so I’m going to ask for some help. But I was thinking of a story of a brave lady knight fighting for her kingdom and her family and friends… and maybe she even falls in love.”

It was then that Ingrid realized that Dorothea had placed her hand on top of hers… and she rather liked the feeling.

“That… sounds wonderful, Dorothea. If you do write it and you get it on the stage, let me know. I-I’d love to see it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit, maybe this was bit of a stretch for either prompt but fuck it, I do what I want. *Shrug*


	12. Gardening + Comfort (Dedue x F!Byleth)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weeks after the events of their mission during the Ethereal Moon, Dedue asks the Professor to accompany him to the greenhouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Gardening + Comfort  
Ship: Dedue x F!Byleth (Pre-relationship)  
Notes: Takes place after chapter nine so spoilers for that.
> 
> I admit this one isn't as good as recent output but I've never written Dedue before and I was nervous about getting him right and my brain just would not cooperate. But I hope you guys like this.

For the past few weeks, Byleth felt lost.

She tried her best to continue on; the Monastery needed her and her students needed her.

But she found it difficult to resume her usual routine or at least resume it with the same energy she had before. Some tasks she had completely neglected like taking care of the plants in the Greenhouse. She hadn’t even really spoken to anyone else outside of teaching her class.

Which made it all the more surprising when after class one day, she was approached by Dedue.

“Professor.”

“...Dedue?”

“I wanted to ask if you would like to accompany me to the Greenhouse.”

Byleth stared at him for a few seconds before responding, “Did Dimitri ask you to check up on me?”

Dedue shook his head, “No, though His Highness is concerned about you as are the rest of the Blue Lions, my worry is my own.”

“...What happened to “it would be in your interest not to spend anymore time around me”?”

“This is… more important.”

The two stood before each other in silence before Byleth took Dedue’s hand and allowed him to take her to the Greenhouse.

Once they stepped inside, Byleth immediately noticed a bundle of new flowers with tall stems and tube like petals. The colors came in reds and purples and whites. They were beautiful.

“They’re called sword lilies and they are a traditional funerary flower from Duscar. They’re grown both for the deceased and for those in mourning… I know it is a small comfort but...”

“No it’s alright.” 

Byleth found herself starting to cry once more and tightened her grip on Dedue’s hand.

“Th-thank you Dedue. I...I’m sure my father would love these.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sword lilies btw are also known as gladioli, if you're heading to Google to see what they look like. ;) I just used the name sword lilies (which is what they're sometimes called) cause it felt like it fit within the universe.


	13. Wolf + Trust (Felix, Gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix has some thoughts about his new classmates after transferring into the Golden Deer House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Wolf + Trust  
Characters: Felix + The Golden Deer  
Note: Vague mentions of Felix's support with Lysithea but that's about it for spoilers

“Lone Wolf” is what Felix had heard the other students call him.

Fine by him, frankly, Felix feels that he fights better on his own.

Unfortunately no one seemed to tell his new classmates when he transferred to the Golden Deer House.

Now not all of them were insufferable.

He got along with Leonie if only because she didn’t really bother him outside training. He didn’t mind training with Raphael but he could have done without his constant invitations to eat together. Marianne was quiet if a little maudlin and kept to herself. Then there was Ignatz who also seemed to mostly keep to himself. He has heard him talk about becoming a knight for his parents but he could tell it wasn’t what he really wanted. 

Felix could sympathize.

The others on the other hand…

Felix trusted Claude as far as he could throw him (and he swears the bastard has been trying to use him as a guinea pig for his recent poisons.) Lysithea keeps trying to “bribe” him with cake to keep her secret of… liking sweets (which he’s pretty sure is probably the worst-kept secret in the Monastery.) Lorenz was everything Felix hated about nobility all wrapped up in one person. And finally Hilda who keeps making excuses for trying to hoist her work off on him.

Perhaps transferring here wasn’t the best idea. But it was too late now and at least he could still spar with the Professor.

* * *

Five years can change a lot.

Five years ago, Felix found him barely tolerating the Golden Deer… now he can’t imagine being in this fight without them.

He still sparred with Leonie and Raphael. They ended up showing what he needed to improve on. But he also found himself enjoying the downtime afterwards with them.

Both Marianne and Ignatz had become more confident. At first, Felix wasn’t thrilled about being dragged into conversations with them but they were still fairly quiet and certainly more respectful of Felix’s limits than some of the others.

He still didn’t entirely trust Claude but the man has been an excellent leader and he knew just how to use Felix’s skills in battle.

Even though Felix still felt like Lysithea was making a big deal out of nothing, he actually did enjoy the cake she gave him the last time they spoke and she had been very helpful with his Mortal Savant training.

Lorenz… was still obnoxious but he actually seemed to take the Professor’s criticisms to heart and seemed to actually practice what he preached about the duties of nobility.

Hilda still tried to make excuses and ask others to do her work but even with her denials, Felix knows and is grateful that she has saved his life more than once on the battlefield.

It wasn’t long before the Professor commented on these changes during a sparring session.

“It only took five years and a war but I’m happy to see you finally fitting in with our little gang of misfits.”

“...I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“...You know the funny thing about lone wolves? They live much harder lives. They can certainly survive out in the wild but they are still more likely to die out there. But with a pack, they’re not necessarily safe from danger but they can trust their allies to help and protect. I’m sorry, it’s just something that’s been on my mind.”

“...Thank you for the spar, Professor.”


	14. Parade + Free (Claude)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young Claude schemes his way out of being cooped up with studies during a festival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Parade + Free  
Characters: Claude, Nader towards the end  
Notes: Spoilers for Claude's backstory, pre-game (Claude's about eight or nine-years-old here)

Simply put: Claude was bored.

There was a festival going on right outside and yet he was stuck in here with his tutor. 

Normally he wouldn’t mind too much but after a… certain accident, Claude had to take his lessons at one of the school houses (with Nader outside the door just in case) and thus he could see and hear the celebration just outside the windows.

It also didn’t help that Claude didn’t really like his tutor. She was too strict and somehow even made Claude’s favorite subjects sound boring. (And he suspects she wasn’t fond of him either because of his Fodlan blood.)

“Your Highness, are you paying attention?”

“Y-yes Ma’am!”

Hopefully this new scheme will work…

Then almost as if he perfectly planned the timing, there was a sudden scream outside along with the sound of crashing.

Claude could already hear Nader rushing to investigate, his tutor quickly joined him (but not before telling him to stay put) and Claude was now by himself.

Perfect.

With all the noise from both the festival and his distraction, neither his Tutor or Nader would hear Claude pushing his desk against the wall. It wasn’t easy but he did get the desk where he wanted and quickly climbed up and reached for the open window.

There he was greeted with his trusty wyvern, still young but big enough for Claude to ride. The boy slipped through the window, climbed onto his friend, and untied the strings of objects around its tail.

“Hey boy! Sorry I had to tie all that junk on your tail but you made a great distraction! Come on, I think the parade should be starting soon!”

* * *

The King was going to KILL him.

Nader had looked everywhere in the building for the young Prince, he should have known the kid would have done SOMETHING!

It wouldn’t be so bad if everyone wasn’t all crowded together for that damn parade. The sound of trumpets and elephants and wyverns drowning out any attempts from him to ask someone about Claude.

“Excuse me!”

“Coming through!”

“You wouldn’t happen to have seen a kid with messy hair, about ye high?”

At this rate, Nader was going to have to ask for the Almyran army to look for him and not only will the King kill him but so will the Queen. A chill went down his spine as he thought of the last time he challenged her.

But then he noticed something moving on the roof of a nearby building. Nader moved just a little bit closer and sighed with relief once he spotted the Prince and the boy’s wyvern.

He smiled, guess he can’t blame the kid for not wanting to be cooped up while the festival was going on. It wasn’t going to hurt to let Claude just be a kid for a bit. For now Nader will just stand and keep an eye on him.


	15. Gaming + Shocked (Claude + Sylvain, Gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvain tries to make amends to Claude, Claude is curious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Gaming + Shocked  
Characters Sylvain, Claude  
Notes: Takes place during Academy Phase

Out of all the people Claude expected at his door, Sylvain was at the bottom of that list. Claude looked back and forth at Sylvain and the board game in his hands with a surprised expression.

Sylvain and the game.

Sylvain and the game.

“...Did Teach put you up to this?”

“Yeah… NO WAIT I MEAN NO! I MEAN… ugh, kind of, but...”

The redhead scratched the back of his head with his free hand.

“Look I’m trying to apologize for that dick measuring contest we had a few days ago.”

“That  _ We _ had?” said Claude with an eyebrow raised

“...That I dragged you into. The Professor said that if I’m going to be in the Golden Deer, I need to make an effort to get along with everyone, especially you since you’re the House Leader. Hilda said you like board games so...”

Claude grinned, “So you thought you could win me over with gifts? Why Sylvain, are you trying to tell me something? I would’ve thought you’d of grown out of the “Tease the person you have a crush on” phase.”

“NO, you ass...! I mean… it’s not a gift, this is actually mine. I was thinking we could play a couple rounds.”

For the second time in a short time, Claude found himself surprised… and intrigued.

Despite his attempts to make everyone think otherwise, Claude knew that Sylvain wasn’t stupid. And Claude believed that you can learn a lot about a person by observing how they play certain games.

“...Alright Sylvain, you’re on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I freely admit that I may have stretched the "shocked" prompt but oh well. Also this was inspired by the fact that one of Sylvain's interests is listed as board games.


	16. Tarot + Fragile (Claude + F!Byleth, Gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Investigating the murder of a classmate by entering a creepy alternate dimension with monsters and being guided by some cheerful fish...dragon… mascot… girl wasn’t exactly what Claude was expecting to do with his after-school time. But here he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Tarot + Fragile  
Characters: Claude Von Riegan, F!Byleth Eisner, Flayn, mentions of Monica Von Ochs.  
Notes: Persona 4 crossover/fusion, mentions of racism
> 
> This ended up WAY longer than a drabble but oh well. Also I'm sure someone else could have done a better job with Claude's Shadow but again, oh well.

Investigating the murder of a classmate by entering a creepy alternate dimension with monsters and being guided by some cheerful fish...dragon… mascot… girl wasn’t exactly what Claude was expecting to do with his after-school time. But here he was.**  
**

At the very least, he wasn’t alone. Aside from said mascot girl (Flayn was her name,) Claude also had the new girl, Byleth. He still kept her at a distance but he still found her interesting, especially after she was able to fight off some monsters by summoning something Flayn called a “Persona.”

The green and white mascot soon stopped in front of what looked like the Von Ochs estate if it was in a horror movie. It was almost a shame that Claude and Byleth had to keep the glasses on to see anything, the fog would’ve set the proper mood.

“Flayn, are you sure this is where Monica ran off to?” asked Byleth

The white and green mascot nodded, “I am sure of it. I would have gone inside to help her but I was stopped by several Shadows.”

Both Byleth and Claude exchanged sad looks, they both couldn’t help but feel bad for Flayn.

“Flayn...”

“No, it is fine. Though I wish I could have saved this Monica girl, I know that we will be alright now that you are here Sensei.”

“Sensei?”

Claude chuckled, “Aw looks like you’ve got yourself an admirer, Teach.”

An unamused expression crossed Byleth’s face before she walked ahead of the other two and entered the swirling red and black entrance; Flayn and Claude quickly followed.

The inside continued the theme of creepy abandoned house with cobwebs everywhere and furniture and windows broken.

Before anyone could say anything though, a deep voice echoed throughout the mansion.

_“Monica, your mother and I have told you before, that you need to take your role as the Von Och heir seriously!”_

“Huh… guess that must be her old man. Charming.” Claude sarcastically remarked

_“Monica, darling. You need to set a good example. You need to be more lady-like.”_

“And I guess that’s her mother?” Asked Byleth

Soon a third voice joined in.

_“”Be more ladylike, Monica.” “Set a good example, Monica.” “Take yourself more seriously, Monica.””_

“...Wait… That’s Monica… but she’s supposed to be...” said Claude

“These… these must be echoes of her true thoughts.” Flayn answered

_“It’s not like you’re a teenager who’s gonna make mistakes. It’s not these are supposed to be the best years of your life or something! IT’S NOT WE REFUSE TO ADMIT WE’RE STUCK IN THE PAST OR ANYTHING!!! Why? Wh-why can’t I just live my life how I want? I’m sick of pretending to be whatever mom and dad think a proper lady is! I just want to be a regular teenager and just goof around and hang out with my friends! But no, every day I gotta watch what I say! Watch what I do! Can’t dishonor the Von Ochs name even if that damn name hasn’t meant shit for a LONG TIME!”_

Claude stayed silent through Monica’s little rant, he always suspected that the proper little rich girl act had been just that, an act. If only because he could sort of relate.

“Claude? You okay?” asked Byleth

“Y-yeah Teach, I’m fine. Still taking this all in, ya know?”

Before Byleth could say anything else, another, more familiar, voice rang out.

** _“Yeah I’m fine. Just being reminded of how I’ve been living a lie is all!”_ **

All three turned to the voice and were greeted with the sight of a second Claude. Completely identical except his cruel expression and bright yellow eyes.

“Huh!? Why are there two Claudes!?” asked Flayn

“What the hells are you?”

The other Claude smirked,**_ “Don’t play dumb. You know exactly who I am and I know exactly who you are, Claude Von Riegan. I know how you make a show out of being an unassuming idiot. After all, if there’s nothing to fear from you and keep everyone at arm’s length, then maybe you won’t be hurt again.”_**

Claude bit his lip, memories of attacks both verbal and physical flash through his mind. But whoever this asshole was, he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a response.

** _“Aw, what’s the matter? No sarcastic quip? No witty comeback? It’s because you know I’m right.”_ **

Byleth stepped forward.

“That’s enough, whatever you are! Leave my friend, alone.”

“...Byleth.”

The other Claude darkly chuckled, **_“Wow how noble of you. But tell me, would you be defending him if you knew what he REALLY thought of you?”_**

Now Claude found himself starting to panic.

“H-hey, leave her out of this!”

** _“Ohhh, touched a nerve there huh? Don’t want your little friend to know that you only got close because of you wanted to use her?”_ **

Byleth turned around and Claude could see the hurt in her eyes.

“Te- Byleth that’s not… he… it’s not true.”

** _“More lies huh Claude? Honestly what haven’t you lied about at this point?”_ **

“Shut. Up!” Claude said as he gritted his teeth

_ **“You even lied to her about why you wanted to come back here. You couldn’t give less of a shit about Monica Von Ochs. But you love a good mystery and hey maybe you’ll be a hero for finding the killer! Maybe everyone will respect you instead of calling you a filthy half-breed under their breaths.”** _

Claude could feel all the walls and defenses he built up over the years, shatter like glass as he grew angrier and angrier.

“I SAID SHUT UP! Who are you!?”

** _“You still don’t get it? I’m you and you’re me… your shadow… I know every little dirty secret you hoard.”_ **

No. No! NO! **NO!**

Claude was not going to let this imposter RUIN everything he’s worked towards.

“You don’t know ANYTHING about me! You. Are. Not. ME!”

The expression on the Other Claude’s face became almost inhuman as he began to laugh.

** _“That’s right! I’m not you! I’m done with keeping secrets!”_ **

A dark energy surrounded the Other Claude and in the gaps, Claude, Byleth, and Flayn could see him transform.

The three stepped further and further back as the energy expanded until emerging out of the dark mist was an all black figure attached to a wyvern-like creature.

** _“I AM A SHADOW… THE TRUE SELF… I WILL USE EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE TO GET WHAT I WANT!”_ **

The top part of the monster lifted one of its arms and it morphed into a bow. It was aiming straight for Byleth. As the arrow fired; without thinking, Claude pushed Byleth out of the way and took the hit.

“Claude!”

“I-I’m fine! I’m...”

“No you’re not! Flayn!”

“Y-yes Sensei?”

“Keep an eye on and protect Claude. I’ll handle the shadow.”

With that, Byleth stepped forward and raised her hand as the glowing tarot card appeared and was quickly crushed.

“COME! SOTHIS!”


	17. Planet + Faithful (Gen with some shiptease)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Byleth of the ship, The Golden Deer makes a small speech to her crew before their hopefully last mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Planet + Faithful  
Characters: F!Byleth, Claude, and the Golden Deer as a whole are mentioned  
Notes: Sci-fi AU, Verdant Wind spoilers, some Claudeleth if you squint

The crew of the Golden Deer stood and watched as the image of a broken planet appeared on the main screen.

The location of their hopefully final mission.

Shambhala.

Looking at it, it was hard to believe that there’d be any life there but according to the coordinates left behind by Hubert, this is where they’ll find their true enemies. The ones who experimented on Lysithea, kidnapped Flayn, and murdered Byleth’s father.

Byleth stepped forward and faced her crew.

How far they’ve all come. From a ragtag group of misfit kids to war heroes. Even Byleth had changed from a mercenary to a professor and now a Captain (though Claude refuses to let go of his little nickname for her.)

“...I wish I could tell you that since we survived the Battle of Enbarr, we can survive this. But I can’t… What I can tell you is that I have faith in each and every one of you to make this battle count. We’ll make sure that this group… Those Slither in the Dark will never harm another person in this galaxy again!”

The crew raised their fights and let out a victory cry.

“Alright, we’ll be arriving at Shambhala in about an hour so I want you all ready at your stations!”

“Yes Captain!”

They all rushed off the bridge of the ship… all except for Claude.

“...That was an order for you too, Claude.”

“I know. But there’s something I wanna say.”

Claude stepped closer to Byleth and gave her that smile she had grown to appreciate over these last few months.

“You said you had faith in us. But what about you?”

“Huh?”

“We wouldn’t have gotten this far without ya, Teach. I just want you to know that we’ve got as much faith in you to lead us as you do for us.”

Byleth smiled, “Thank you Claude.”

“No problem.”

He turned around and began to step out but before he left, he looked over at Byleth.

“Also, you need to stay alive for this fight… cause there’s something I want to say.”

“Why don’t you say it now?”

“Not the right time. So you gotta stay alive, Teach or you’ll never find out.”

With that, Claude finally exited the room, leaving Byleth alone at the bridge.

“...Alright, Claude, you’ve got me curious. I’ll stay alive for you.”


	18. AU + Shame (Claude, Byleth, some shiptease)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Claude comes back from a case, red in the face, Byleth takes a moment to apologize for something she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: AU + Shame  
Characters: F!Byleth, Claude, Flayn, and a few members of Golden Deer appear briefly  
Notes: Takes place in the same universe as Day 4 (Part + Horror)

Upon hearing the bell over the door, Flayn looked up and saw Claude looking red in the face.

“Welcome back, Claude. Where are the others? Did the case go well?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He mumbled back

Before Flayn could ask anything else, Claude rushed past her and to the stairs leading to everyone’s rooms.

Did… did something go wrong?

The bell rang once again and much to Flayn’s relief, the rest of the Golden Deer came inside.

“Oh thank goodness! When Claude came in alone and in a foul mood, I was worried that something had happened.”

Hilda giggled, “Oh don’t worry the case went fine. Claude’s just acting all embarrassed cause...”

Byleth, their newest member, then sighed.

“I said something I shouldn’t have. Do you know where Claude went, Flayn?”

“Upstairs, I assume he’s going to his room.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Byleth walked ahead upstairs. As soon as Byleth was out of sight, Flayn turned back to the group.

“What happened? What did Byleth say?”

Lysithea was the first to speak up, “She called Claude a “good boy” as a joke.”

“Oh. That’s all?”

“You know how Claude is about dog jokes. In fairness, I don’t entirely blame him considering the frequency he’s heard them… though you’d think he’d offer me the same courtesy. If I have to hear one more “losing your head” joke...” Lorenz said, muttering that last part under his breath.

* * *

Claude knew who was knocking on his door before Byleth even spoke up.

“Claude? I want to talk, can I come in?”

He took a deep breath and put on his best carefree smile.

“Yeah sure, come on in.”

Byleth came in and Claude nearly winced over the guilty look on her face. Wow she’s taking this hard… then again with the way he reacted…

“I want to apologize for what I said...”

“Aw come on, Byleth. It’s fine, it’s not a big deal.”

She didn’t look convinced.

“But your reaction...”

“Okay I might have overreacted but all it was, was some embarrassment. I hear those kind of comments all the time so it just gets a little old is all. It’s not like you said something really insulting or like tried to give me a dog biscuit.”

Byleth raised an eyebrow, “Did someone actually do that!?”

Claude laughed as he recalled that incident.

“A guy named Caspar, he’s with the Black Eagles and in fairness, he wasn’t trying to be rude. He thought I was more like a dog than a wolf cause he’s buddies with a werecat. I was pretty annoyed with him at the time but he did apologize and we’re okay now.”

Byleth let out a small chuckle, “So… we’re okay too?”

“Yeah we’re okay. You can head down and let everyone know it’s alright.”

She nodded and stepped out of the room. Once the door was closed and Claude could hear her footsteps becoming distant, he grabbed one of the pillows on his bed and groaned into it.

He was so glad she accepted his little half-truth. Claude really didn’t want to explain to Byleth the real reason he was embarrassed was that he realized he actually really… _really_ liked hearing her call him a “good boy.”


	19. Explosion + Curiosity (Felix x Annette)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's still something about one of Annette's songs that Felix is curious about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Explosion + Curiosity  
Ship: Felix x Annette
> 
> Sorry for the super short one today guys. But these are technically supposed to be drabbles so yeah. :P
> 
> Enjoy

“You know, you still haven’t explained to me how a “big boom” cleans the library.”

...Annette’s smile dropped. It was such a lovely morning and then Felix had to go and ruin it.

“...What?”

Annette pouted as she laid herself on top of her boyfriend. 

“You know… not everything has to be super literal! There’s not like… an actual boom! It was more like “and boom it’s all clean!” It’s like a metaphor!”

Felix raised an eyebrow, “Pretty sure that isn’t how metaphors work. Also doesn’t the song go “...and then it all goes boom?” That makes it sound like there’s a real explosion… Annette?”

“YOU’RE THE WORST, FELIX!”

Without even giving him a chance to respond, Annette grabbed her pillow and smacked Felix in the face.


	20. Feathers + Hopeful (Cyril x Lysithea)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyril writes a letter to Lysithea to thank her for all she's done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Feathers + Hopeful  
Ship: Cyril x Lysithea  
Notes: Slight spoilers for Cyril and Lysithea's supports

Cyril dipped the quill in ink and made sure he held it the right way. He glances at the small pile of ruined papers and ruined feathers from his previous attempts.

_ Come on Cyril, you can do this. _

He wanted to show Lysithea how much her teachings helped him and show her how much he appreciated everything she’s done for him.

Cyril takes a deep breath and puts quill to paper.

_ Dear… _

He glances back at another sheet that he and Lysithea used to practice writing names.

_ Dear Lysithea. _

_ I read the book you gave me... _

He continued to write, saying how even though it was hard, it became easier the more he tried and how it actually became a little fun.

_ Thanks you… _

No wait, that wasn’t right. But Cyril was starting to run out of paper and quills so he might as well keep the mistake as is.

He continued writing, determined to get all his thoughts down just right.

_ I am glad you are my friend. It makes me happy. _

Wait, did the “h” in happy look right? Y-yeah it’s fine, it’s late, he’s tired, and he hopes… no he’s sure Lysithea will know what he’s trying to go for.

Cyril yawned as he stood up and searched for one of the Monastery’s messenger owls. Once he found one, he instructed it to take it to Lysithea’s room. The owl gently took the folded letter into its beak and flew off to the dormitories.

The young wyvern rider walked back to his room and lied down, his last thought before falling asleep was hoping that he’d get to see Lysithea’s smile again.


	21. Big City + Confusion (Felix x Annette)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Modern AU) While waiting for a ride, Annette does some busking and gets the attention of a very serious looking guy with blue hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Big City + Confusion  
Ships: Annette x Felix, background Sylvain x Mercedes  
Notes: Modern AU, takes place in the same universe as Day nine and Falling For You, which you do not need to read to understand.

Annette knew she should have asked Mercie to pick her up from the train station.

But she knew that her friend was busy with that after-school job of hers and she didn’t wanna bother Mercede’s fiancé either. So she’d find their place on her own…

Too bad whoever made Garreg Mach’s streets was some kind of evil confusing wizard!

“Okay so I gotta take a left on Cethleann street… or wait is that West Indech Avenue?”

Annette tried to pull out the GPS on her phone but honestly it seemed just as confused by the street layout as Annette was.

All she wanted was to find her best friend’s place and now she was lost. Guess she should just swallow her pride. It’s late afternoon so Mercie’s probably at work so guess she’ll call Sylvain.

_ “...” _

_ “...” _

_ “...” _

_ “Yo this is Sylvain Gautier!” _

“Sylvain, hey this is...”

_ “I can’t answer my phone right now so leave a message and I’ll try to get back to ya, okay? Oh and if you’re someone I uh… *cough* spent some time with, you should know I’m happily taken now!” _

Annette groaned just before the beep but she sighed and told him that she needed a ride and where she (thinks she) is.

Well, guess she’ll kill some time while she waits. Annette finds a spot where she can sit down and unloads her guitar case off her back. She’s glad that her mother gave her some money to keep herself afloat but it didn’t hurt to get some extra right?

Now what song should she go for? Boxes? Swamp beasties?

She looked across the street and spotted a little cafe. Oh maybe the Steaks and Cakes song.

“...Ohhhh…. Today’s dinner is steak and then a cake that’s yummy yum… Now it’s time to fill my tummy tummy tum!” 

She continued playing, switching to other songs but always coming back to Steaks and Cakes (okay maybe she was getting a little hungry but she didn’t want to run off somewhere in case Sylvain showed up to pick her up.) She was starting to attract some onlookers, among them was a very intense looking guy with blue hair.

“Oh, this mountain of sweets and treats that I long to eats… Oh, stacks of steaks and cakes and crumbs and yums!”

A few people left some tips and walked away but the blue haired guy stuck around. Weird, he didn’t seem like the type to enjoy the silly songs Annette sung…

Unless… oh no… he wasn’t one of those jerks who make videos of people to make fun of them was he!? Was Annettte gonna wake up tomorrow to find out she’s the viral laughing stock of the internet!?

The worry ended up affecting her playing and the crowd she picked up started to leave, including the blue haired guy. Oh thank the goddess!

With that, Annette puts away her guitar, lifts up the case, and continues to wait for Sylvain.

A few minutes pass and she spots the blue haired guy again, leaving that little cafe with a bag of (what Annette assumes are) baked goodies. She could hear her stomach growling at that thought.

She hasn’t heard from Sylvain at all so maybe it wouldn’t hurt to run up and get something really quick. Right? Yeah totally and she could always just call him again if he gets here and is looking for her and…

“Here.”

“Huh!?”

Annette looked up and saw the serious guy in front of her with that bag of food.

“You kept going back to that food song so I figured you were hungry. Don’t know why you didn’t just go to the cafe yourself but...”

She stared at him and then back to the bag. Was this a joke? Was he messing with her or something? But she was hungry…

“Oh uh… thanks.” Annette said as she took the bag from his hands

The two stood there in awkward silence, both blushing and unsure whether or not to keep talking.

“...I… should go...” He said

But before he could walk away, Annette grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.

“Wait, wh-what’s your name? I’m Annette, by the way.”

He looked a little unsure about giving her his name but he turned to her anyway.

“My name’s...”

“FELIX!”

The two turned to the new voice and saw Sylvain leaning out of his car window and waving at both of them.

The guy, Felix pinched his nose and groaned while Annette just looked at both of them in shock.

“W-wait, you two know each other!?”

“We grew up together but I haven’t seen him since college. Crazy seeing you again here, man. Dude, I’m taking Annette here to my place, you should come along!”

“I’m not third-wheeling with you and your latest victim.” Felix said with bite in his tone

Annette turned a deep red, “W-wait it isn’t like that!!! He’s engaged to my best friend and they’re letting me stay at their place for a bit!”

Sylvain just laughed as he flashed his engagement ring, “She’s right man, I’m spoken for, now! Come on, let’s just hang out for dinner, you can meet Mercie when she gets off work!”

Felix sighed and grumbled a “Fine.”

Annette quickly followed to Sylvain’s car, taking a seat in the back while Felix took the passenger’s seat.

“So Annette, aside from getting lost, how’s Garreg Mach been treating you?” asked Sylvain

“Oh it’s uh...”

Annette glances over at Felix who immediately turns red and looks away.

“It’s… been interesting.”


	22. Poisons + Eagerness (Claude, Gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude tries to play a prank/test a new poison. It backfires spectacularly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Poison + Eagerness  
Characters: Claude, Lorenz, F!Byleth  
Notes: Takes place during the Academy phase

Claude eagerly grinned as he swirled the liquid inside the little vial in his hand.

He’s quite excited to test this new concoction of his and Lorenz has been particularly uptight lately so he’ll make a good test subject.

Claude hides the vial in one of his pockets and makes his way around the Academy, searching for Lorenz. 

He finds him by the stables and tells him that he wants to make up for the little spat they had the other day and invites him to have some lunch together. Part of him was worried that Lorenz wouldn’t fall for it. He wasn’t stupid after all. Socially oblivious? Ohhh yes. But outright stupid? No.

But thankfully it looks like Lorenz wasn’t paying too close attention because he accepted the offer.

Claude takes him to the Dining Hall and asks him to find a table. While Lorenz does that, Claude gets two bowls of Daphnel stew and finds a spot that he could safely pour his concoction without anyone noticing him.

He quickly walks back to the table and is greeted by not only Lorenz but also Teach.

“Oh hey Teach, thought you were busy with something today?”

“I am but we all need a break at some point.”

“I saw her and invited her over, I hope you do not mind, Claude.”

Claude just shrugged, he’s already put the poison in so it’s like she can stop him.

“Nah, I’ll make time for ya, Teach.”

Claude carefully places the bowls of stew in front of Lorenz and his seat. He sits down and puts on his best Poker face, don’t want to give away the game too early. He watches as Lorenz picks up the spoon and…

“Oh goddess, what is Professor Manuela doing!?” Teach exclaimed

Both Claude and Lorenz look over and end up seeing nothing. They turn back around and Teach just shrugs.

“Sorry, she ran off before the two of you could see. So shall we eat?”

Lorenz nods, “Yes, we shall.”

Claude smiled as Lorenz took a spoonful of stew and placed into his mouth…

Claude’s smile dropped as Lorenz showed no reaction.

“Claude is something wrong?” Asked Teach

“Ah, nah I’m fine! So uh… how’s the stew, Lorenz?”

“It is wonderful. I continue to be amazed by the quality of the food served here in the Dining Hall.”

...Was the poison a dud?

“Really? Not too spicy or anything?”

Lorenz looked thoughtful for a moment and went right back to eating.

“Hm… I think they may have added something new but it’s subtle.”

_ Well… that was several hours of work down the river.  _ Claude thought as he took a spoonful of his own stew. 

Guess all Claude can do is enjoy his meal and talk to Tea…

As soon as the stew touched his tongue, he froze. With some difficulty, he swallowed his food and immediately covered his mouth to keep himself from screaming.

He could hear both Teach and Lorenz saying his name with concern but all he could focus on was the awful feeling of something being both too hot and too cold in his mouth.

Dammit, how did he get the poisoned bowl? He carried them both, he put both down and… oh… Teach... oh DAMMIT! **HE REALLY FELL FOR THE OLDEST TRICK IN THE BOOK!** And now he’s paying for it. He almost feels a little bad that he was going to subject Lorenz to this! Gods, this must be what hellfire tastes like!

“Claude, do you need me to take you to the Infirmary?” asked Teach

Still worried that he wouldn’t say anything but a scream, Claude just let out a sad whimper and a nod.

With that, Teach helped him up from his seat and started walking with him.

As soon as they were out of earshot of anyone, Teach spoke in a whisper.

“If I had known this was going to happen, I would have simply demanded that you pour out the tainted stew. I thought it was another one of your stomach poisons not whatever… this is.”

Claude finally found the strength to say something other than a howl of pain though his voice came out a bit raspy (he could give Hubert a run for his gold.)

“Didn’t think it would be this bad.”

“Are you going to be alright?”

“I think I’ll be fine if I get some water.”

“...I hope you learned a lesson about trying to use your classmates as test subjects for your concoctions. Now let’s go get you that water.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: This was based on a tumblr post where somebody tried to eat a habanero pepper and then some breath mints thinking the hot and cold would cancel each other out. It did not and the poster described it as "This is what hellfire tastes like"


	23. Convention + Numb (Bernadetta, Sylvain Gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bernadetta tries an unconventional method to get Sylvain to stop reading her stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Convention + Numb  
Characters: Bernadetta, Sylvain, brief appearance of Byleth  
Notes: Spoilers for Sylvain and Bernadetta’s support. Meant to be gen but you could read it as leading to potential romance. Consider this my take on an A rank for Sylvain and Bernie’s Support. ;P
> 
> I freely admit that I severely stretched and crammed in the prompts but I don’t know I just had such a difficult time with this. Oh well. *Shrugs*

Oh Bernie, what did you get yourself into!?

She practically feel her fingers going numb with how tightly she held the little journal filled with her latest writings

Despite her constant reminders to herself that there was no way that that long gushing letter from Sylvain was sincere and that he was a jerk out to embarrass her… Bernadetta did find herself inspired to write more.

Add to that, Sylvain keeps glancing over at her during class and mealtime at the Dining Hall. Probably waiting for a chance to humiliate her in front of the whole Monastery!

Bernadetta already told him to his face (TO HIS FACE, she can’t believe she actually DID THAT) that she wasn’t falling for his schemes. But he seemed determined to make her die of embarrassment so it was time for unconventional means.

Once he reads about her new character, maybe he’ll finally stop!

Bernadetta swallows her apprehension and takes a deep breath; she manages to let one hand let go of the book and knocks on Sylvain’s door.

“Coming!”

As soon as Sylvain opened the door, Bernie could feel her entire resolve fall apart.

“Oh! Hey Bernadetta, what’s going on? That a new story? Is it okay for me to read it? I’ve been dying to know what happens…”

Before he could finish, Bernadetta let out a shrill shout and ran off. It was only when she came back to the safety of her room that she realized that in her rush, she had dropped the book.

* * *

It had been a week since her failed plan but she hadn’t heard a peep from Sylvain. Maybe he didn’t read it? Or maybe he did and he’s finally realized that Bernie isn’t gonna let him make a fool of her anymore!

Wouldn’t that be nice?

A knock on her door interrupts her thoughts and Bernadetta lays her ear against it.  
  
“W-who is it?”

“It’s Professor Byleth, Bernadetta. You missed class today so I wanted to check on you.”

“O-oh, sorry Professor… I’ve just been… well… I-I’ll try to be there tomorrow.”

“Very well, I hope to see you then. But before I leave, I have something. Sylvain wanted me to give this to you.”

What!? SYLVAIN!?

Without another word, the Professor slipped an envelope under Bernie’s door and she could hear them walk away before she could try to force the envelope back outside.

…Guess she doesn’t have much choice.

She picks it up and opens it, finding another long letter.

_“Dear Author, _

_I apologize if I wasn’t meant to read your latest work but I just couldn’t resist. Once again, I found myself unable to put it down until I reached the end. I particularly enjoyed the new character you introduced and I think he makes for a great foil for the heroine. At first I was annoyed by him, thinking he was just the typical dumb incorrigible flirt kind of character. But I suspect that there’s going to be more to him that will be revealed and I’m excited to see what direction you’ll take with him. _

_Once again your devoted fan,_

_Sylvain”_

…

…Oh no…


	24. Tattoo + Exhaustion (Ashe x Petra)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe undergoes a traditional Brigid ritual for the Spirits' protection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Tattoo + Exhaustion  
Ship: Ashe x Petra  
Notes: Post-game, PetraxAshe ending, although the descriptions are vague, someone is getting a tattoo the traditional way so if you’re squeamish about that, just a warning.

Ashe bit his lip as the tool dug into his back. He must have bit it a little too hard because he started to taste copper.**  
**

“Shhh, it is alright. It is almost done.”

He feels Petra’s hand gently brushing one of his own. He wishes he could lift his head to look at her but he doesn’t want to ruin the Artisan’s work.

It had been something that Petra had told Ashe about when she asked him to come to Brigid with her. That if he was to become her Guardian Knight and lead others, he would need a blessing from the spirits. Thus a tattoo.

“I have understanding if you are unsure about this.”

“No, it’s fine, Petra. This is part of your culture and it’s important for you and your people.”

Petra had to make many adjustments to fit in in Fodlan so it was only fair that Ashe did the same here in Brigid.

The Artisan’s tool hit a particularly sensitive spot on Ashe’s back and he let out a hiss. Petra holds his hand as he tightens his grip and she places a kiss on the top of his head.

“You are showing much strength.”

Ashe smiles, “Eh heh, it’s most -ah- m-mostly because y-you’re with me.”

The two stay like this for some unknown amount of time before he hears the Artisan speak.

“He is saying that he has finished. But that you are to be staying on your stomach for everything to settle.”

“Alright, will do. Please, thank him for doing this.”

Petra thanks the Artisan for his duty in her native tongue. The Artisan says something in response. While he is still learning the Brigid language, he does catch a few words and Petra’s title.

The whole ritual seems to finally catch up to Ashe as he feels his eyelids getting heavy. He can hear the Artisan step outside, leaving him with only Petra. He’s about to let himself relax when he hears the sound of running footsteps along with shouts of his name.

“Are you okay Ashe!?”

“Did it hurt a lot!?”

“What are all those symbols!?”

“Can we touch it!?”

Ashe chuckled over his brother and sister asking a million questions.

“I feel really sore but I’m fine, don’t worry. You can’t touch it, at least not yet. It needs to settle and dry. And Petra can tell you two all about the symbols.”

“For now, you must be giving your brother some space. The tattooing ritual tends to be a… tired… oh, tiring experience.”

Ashe smiles and closes his eyes as Petra kisses the top of his head again. The last thing he hears before finally falling asleep is Petra speaking a phrase from the Brigid language, one he learned during the war.

“Rest well, dear one. The spirits will protect you.”


	25. Necklace + Annoyance (Hilda x Marianne)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While there were plenty of things that Hilda would find an excuse to cut corners for, her accessories were never one of them. She’d always put her all into them. But she’s never had this much trouble with a piece of jewelry before.
> 
> It’s just... this one had to be just right!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Necklace + Annoyance  
Ship: Hilda x Marianne  
Notes: Post-game, follows Hilda and Marianne's paired ending, small vague reference to a Claude spoiler

Almost…

Almost…

NO! NO! IT’S ALL SCRATCHED NOW!

Hilda groaned in frustration. How long had she been working on this dumb necklace?

While there were plenty of things that Hilda would find an excuse to cut corners for, her accessories were never one of them. She’d always put her all into them. But she’s never had this much trouble with a piece of jewelry before.

It’s just... this one had to be just right!

The gems had to be the right shade of blue. The right flower needed to be in the bottle.

Hilda sighs and gets right back to work, she only has so much time to finish this after all.

* * *

“Miss. Marianne?”

Marianne looked up from her desk to see one of the Manor servants, a young girl just a few years younger than herself named Clara, holding a small velvet box and an envelope.

“This arrived in the morning, it’s addressed to you.”

Clara gently handed the box and envelope to Marianne.

“Thank you Clara.”

The young maid bowed and left Marianne alone in her room.

Marianne opened the envelope first and immediately recognized Hilda’s handwriting.

_ Dear Marianne, _

_ I’m so sorry I can’t be there with you for your birthday! Things have been crazy lately between the peace talks with Almyra (I’m still angry at Claude for not telling us who he really is by the way) and trying to set things up for the artisan academy. Speaking of, thank you so much for talking with your dad about supporting the academy! _

_ But anyway, even though I can’t be there, I do have something special for you and I hope you like it because I worked real hard on it just for you! _

_ Happy Birthday, Marianne. I love you so much and I can’t wait till I can see you again. _

_ Love, _

_ Hilda _

Marianne smiled as she put the letter down and opened up the box.

Inside was a necklace with shining light blue gems on either side of a crystal bottle and inside the bottle was a stem with a couple lily of the valley flowers.

“Thank you Hilda, it’s perfect.” Marianne says with happy tears in her eyes


	26. Diagnosis + Relief (Claude x F!Byleth)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Byleth collapses, Claude worries until he's given some good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Diagnosis + Relief  
Ship: Claude x Byleth  
Notes: Post-game, Byleth spoilers I guess?

Claude isn’t sure how long he had been sitting here. A few minutes? A few hours?

The point is, he wasn’t leaving until he’s sure that Byleth was alright.

She seemed fine for most of the day and then all of a sudden, she clutched her chest and passed out and that wasn’t even the strangest thing.

As Claude held her and called for a healer, Byleth’s hair changed. The mint green faded away and turned back to teal, her original hair color.

What was going on!?

Claude lifted his head when he heard the door open and saw the lead healer, a stout older woman, smiling. 

Okay that’s a good sign.

“I-is Byleth?”

“Fear not Your Majesty, the Queen is in good health. It seems to have just been a fainting spell, not uncommon for women in her condition.”

“Condition?”

“She’s pregnant, about a month along we think. Congratulations to both of you.”

Pregnant. Byleth is pregnant. They’re going to be parents… but that doesn’t explain everything.

“Are you sure that’s all? What about her hair changing? Did you check her eyes too?”

The healer gave him an unsure expression, “Well it’s certainly odd but our magic did not detect any abnormalities. She and the child seem to be fine despite her physical change. The Queen had no fever, no chills, her pulse and heartbeat were normal...”

...What…

“W-wait, what was that last part?”

“...There no abnormalities? No fever or chills, normal pulse and heartbeat...”

Heartbeat… Byleth’s… heartbeat…

Without another word, Claude rushed into the room and ran to Byleth resting on one of the beds. He ignored the surprised cries and questions from the other healers as he placed his ear on his wife’s chest.

_ ...Badum...badum...badum…badum… _

Claude’s eyes widened. A heartbeat. A real heartbeat. Why!? How!?

“C-Claude?”

Claude lifts his head up to see that Byleth is awake and her eyes are blue. He quickly stands, takes one of Byleth’s hands, and places on her chest.

“Claude, what are you…?”

“Can you feel it!?”

A couple seconds pass and a look of confusion crosses Byleth’s face.

“What’s...”

“It’s a heartbeat,  **your** heartbeat. I don’t know what’s going on, your hair and eyes changed back to how they used to be...”

“...Sothis...”

“Huh?”

Byleth faced Claude, “Before I lost consciousness, I heard Sothis’ voice. She… she said “My power has outlived its blessing. You deserve to live and grow old with those you love.” Then I felt this pain in my chest and...”

Her eyes widened and she began to tear up.

“Byleth!?”

“...I’ve been… worried lately… that my connection to Sothis made me like Rhea and Seteth and Flayn. That I’d stay the same while you and the others would grow old and die. But now… now I can live a normal life with you...”

Claude smiled and placed a hand on Byleth’s stomach.

“With me and our child. Along with everything else, the healer said you’re pregnant.”

Byleth looked at Claude and began to cry in earnest. She pulls him into a hug and happily cries into his shoulders as Claude wraps his arms around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout-out to Sakumo from the Claudeleth server for her headcanon because I love these two and I want them to be happy and not deal with Immortality Angst.


	27. Storm + Rage (Felix x Annette)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a fight with Imperial forces, Felix saves Annette from an attack and she later returns the favor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Storm + Rage  
Ship: Felix x Annette  
Notes: Some vague references to violence but nothing super descriptive or explicit

Yet another Imperial soldier lets out a shout of pain as Felix’s sword pierces through their armor. They collapse as he pulls the blade out; another one down. 

Felix needed to regroup with the others, he’s wasted enough time here.

He rushes through the winding paths, looking for any sign of his allies.

Then a loud scream fills his ears, he turns toward the sound and his vision turns red.

Annette trying to crawl backwards away from an Imperial War Master, her sword knocked out of her hands, and it was obvious that she wouldn’t have enough time to cast a spell.

“ANNETTE!”

His shout catches both her and her attacker’s attention. With the War Master distracted, Felix has enough time to fire a lightning spell. It’s strong enough to bring the enemy down in one strike.

Felix rushes over to Annette, he hands her her sword as she stands back up.

“What are you doing by yourself!? You almost got yourself killed!” He shouts in worried anger

Annette looked down, “...Sorry. I was trying to follow everyone when that guy showed up… they were all too far to help.”

Felix lets out an exasperated sigh, “You need to be more careful… I… we can’t afford to lose you… or anyone for that matter. Stick with me until we get back with the others, alright?”

“Alright.”

The two make their way towards the others, keeping an eye for any more enemies.

They nearly made it when a sniper’s arrow struck Felix in the shoulder.

“Felix! Are you okay?” Annette asked in a panic

Before he could respond, Felix is hit with a wave of dizziness.

“Felix!?”

He tries to say something but nothing comes out. His knees feel weak and he collapses into Annette’s arms.

“PROFESSOR! MERCIE! SOMEONE! HELP!”

Felix’s vision starts to become hazy and everything sounds like his ears are stuffed with cotton. 

He thinks he hears another arrow being launched at them but feels Annette unleash a burst of wind to knock it out of the air.

Someone runs toward them… he thinks it’s Mercedes. The two women are talking about… something… it’s becoming harder to hear.

Felix feels himself being moved and despite his hazy vision, he sees Annette smiling at him as she pours a vial of something into his mouth.

“Don’t worry, the antitoxin should kick in soon. You saved me so now I’m gonna return the favor.”

As soon as she looked away, her expression morphed into one of pure rage.

The last thing Felix saw before losing consciousness was Annette surrounding herself with violent storm winds.


	28. Carousel + Nostalgia (Claude x F!Byleth)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude and Byleth chat a little about her childhood as the two enjoy the holiday in Faergus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Carousel + Nostalgia  
Ship: Claude x F!Byleth  
Notes: Modern!AU, continuation of Day 9 (Holiday + Optimistic)

Claude grumbled as a chilled wind blew past him.

Okay so meeting with By’s dad went well… good to know that he would die of hypothermia instead of being murdered by his girlfriend’s dad. At least they’ll find his body this way.

“Oh stop being a baby, Claude.”

He turned his head and found said girlfriend walking toward him with two cups with what he hoped was something warm.

“Did um… did I say that out loud?”

“Say what out loud? I just saw you all curled up in a sweater, a hoodie, a winter coat, and two scarves and you’re still shivering. Here I got us some hot cider.”

Claude muttered as a thanks as he took one of the cups and pulled down one of the scarves to take a sip.

“Remind me again why your dad retired to Faergus instead of somewhere warmer? Like Brigid or even Almyra? Could’ve done a two-for-one trip and have you meet my folks too.”

“I think he said something about how he was less likely to get visitors by moving back to Faergus.”

Yeah… that sounds about right for the guy.

“I do have to admit though, while I love Garreg Mach, it is nice to be back here.”

“You lived here?”

“For a few years when I was in elementary school, I was born in Garreg Mach but then we moved here because of politics.”

“What happened?”

“...You know how there are people who say during election years that if so-so gets elected, they’d leave? My dad actually practiced what he preached.”

Claude burst into laughter and Byleth gave a not-so serious pout.

“I’m serious, that was the reason.”

“I’m sorry but now I’m just thinking of your dad bursting into your cutesy little kid room and being like “Welp sweetie, my candidate didn’t win so it’s time for us to flee the country!”” 

At that, Byleth joined in the laughter, though Claude had a feeling it was more because of his, admittedly, awful impression of Jeralt than the joke itself.

Eh, whatever, if it makes Byleth smile and laugh, he’s fine with it.

The two continued walking through the park, enjoying the holiday decorations as Byleth talked about her childhood in Faergus. 

Until they spotted a line of people and following the line, they saw a large and rather ornate carousel.

As Claude wondered how they didn’t see this thing, Byleth’s eyes lit up.

“I didn’t know this thing was still around!”

“You remember this?”

“It’s been around for a long time, I remember as a kid, I’d beg my dad to take me to the park so I could ride it. Especially during the holidays when they’d decorate it and start playing special music.”

Claude looked back at the carousel, seeing kids and their parents rushing towards their favorite animals. Among the horses there were also an eagle, a lion, a deer, and even a wyvern.

Byleth sighed and took a sip from her cider.

“Well we suppose we should get going, there’s more I want to show you...”

“Are you sure you don’t wanna ride the carousel?”

Byleth looked at him in surprise, her cheeks turning pink. In other words: yes. Yes she does wanna ride the carousel.

“Eh heh, well they have a strict no food or drink policy on the ride and… I mean we’re...”

“Adults? Come on, Teach, I woulda thought working with kids would’ve meant you’re more in touch with your inner child. Not to mention with the line, I think we’d have enough time to finish our drinks.”

Byleth still looked unsure.

“Come on, let’s go have some fun. What animal do you wanna ride on?”

“...I was always scared of the wyvern as a kid… maybe I could give it a second chance?”

Claude grinned as he took Byleth’s free hand and walked with her to the carousel line.


	29. Artist + Regret (Ignatz)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are others who will work hard to maintain the peace they fought for but for Ignatz, he just wishes to enjoy it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Artist + Regret  
Characters: Ignatz, ambiguous partner  
Notes: Post-game, tried to keep it vague as to which one of Ignatz’s paired endings this follows so ya’ll can insert your fave Ignatz ship.

_ “Are you sure this is what you want?” _

Yes.

_ “It wouldn’t be an easy life” _

Neither would the life of a knight.

Ignatz had seen enough battle and war for a lifetime.

There are others who will work hard to maintain the peace they fought for but for Ignatz, he just wishes to enjoy it. Though he was able to convince his parents to let him live the simple life of a painter, they still had their reservations.

_ “We just… we just don’t want you to regret it.”  _

He understood their worry but…

“Ignatz!”

He looked up and saw his partner waving at him. He rushed over to them and looked over at the sunset. Ignatz smiled as he immediately pulled out his sketchbook..

Ignatz understood his parents’ concern but as he looked over and tried to memorize the sight of the sunset and his partner bathed in its colors, he knew that he would never regret this path.


	30. Forest + Grief (Jeralt)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jeralt flees the Monastery, he thinks of his late wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Forest + Grief
> 
> Characters: Jeralt, baby Byleth, mentions of Byleth’s mother
> 
> Notes: Jeralt and Byleth spoilers, this was originally written before the Ashen Wolves DLC was released and now has been edited to reflect that we now have a canon name for Byleth's mother.
> 
> Thank you all so much for the likes and reblogs and comments for the past month. It has been both fun and frustrating and I hope you guys enjoy this and any of my future works for this fandom. :)

How long has it been since the fire?

A few hours? A day maybe?

That should be enough to get away from the Church… away from Rhea…

At first Jeralt worried about using the nearby forest to cover his escape but it seemed like the old instincts just kicked right back in. 

The only problem was the small bundle in his arms.

He stops for a moment to check on his daughter…

Still no heartbeat… no cries… not even a smile or giggle… it’s almost like she’s more like a doll than a living breathing infant.

Even more so than before, Jeralt wished Sitri was still with them. She likely wouldn’t know what to do either but at least Jeralt wouldn’t be alone in this.

He thinks of just how bright and optimistic she was. How excited she was at the idea of becoming a mother. Even with everything strange about their child, Sitri would have still loved her with all her heart.

...Especially since she was willing to die to make sure they would be born.

Jeralt let out a weary sigh, there’d be more time to mourn once they were out of the forest and somewhere warm.

He hesitates to say that he would not let Sitri’s death be pointless (what was the point of taking away the person he loved the most and his daughter’s mother) but Jeralt would make sure that their daughter would live a happy life.

**Author's Note:**

> Ya'll can find me on Tumblr @ https://nexttrickanvils.tumblr.com/ and on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/NextTrickAnvils


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